Link Love: Twenty-Five

It’s at times like these I’m reminded of the quote from Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Life is moving really fast in the gnome home at the moment. HUBBY was offered a job last week and will start with his new employer soon. It’s a massive relief and weight off our shoulders. As much as we’re prepared for this sort of thing and as much as you know you can survive there’s still a baseline of stress involved when you’re both “unemployed”. The Little Man started school holidays this week and so HUBBY asked for a delayed start so we could have the holidays together as a family. It’s been ages since we were all home at the same time and able to just spend time together.

We’re planning on heading to the local snow fields this week. The Little Man hasn’t seen snow before and keeps asking about it so we thought it would be a fun thing to do. I hadn’t actually factored in how much preparation I’d have to do to get us ready to go. I’m so worried about us being underprepared for just how cold it will be. We’re lucky that we can rent the outer snow gear and boots so that will be handy. Plus, we’re not going to ski or stay overnight so that’s another expense that we won’t have. I’m sneakily hoping that we’ll have time for me to be able to get some photos of recently finished quilts in the show. I always love seeing winter quilt finish photos when the Northern Hemisphere hits snow season.

#100Days100Blocks2018 kicked off on Saturday and goodness me it’s been a lot of work this year. The hashtag is growing at just over 1,000 photos a day which is mind blowing. Everyday more people join in and this year the community seems to be really strong and supportive. It’s been fabulous. The blocks that are being shared are simply amazing and each one offers a different perspective – I’m just in eye candy heaven scrolling the hashtag. It’s not too late to join in if you’re starting to experience a touch of FOMO (that’s fear of missing out for those of us not born in the 2000’s). You can find all the details about the event by clicking here.

Lastly I wanted to thank everyone for all the support, prayers and encouragement that has been shown to me since announcing HUBBY was let go. It really has meant the world to me and I thank you for taking the time to write or comment. This community is so strong and supportive and I think God every day that I am able to be a part of it. I also wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who supported my little handmade sale. You were all so sweet and encouraging about it that you’ve helped me make the leap into something we’ve been thinking about for awhile now. We’ve been working hard behind-the-scenes to get something new launched and I can’t wait to share it all with you over the coming weeks. I’m really excited about it and I hope you will be too. Now with that sappiness out of the way, let’s get on with having a fabulous week. Wishing you a week filled with love, laughter and much fabric fondling!

For those of you that are participating in #100Days100Blocks2018 I wrote a post with my top tips + tricks for the event. It covers my favourite tools and books to use when making this quilt, as well as how to photograph your blocks and staying organised. Click here to read more.

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I’m going through a love affair with drawstring bags at the moment and I love this tutorial from Amy at Diary of a Quilter for making one with a heart on it. Click here to read more.

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Australia is going plastic bag free for grocery shopping and so this free tutorial from See Kate Saw for making a Hotel Transylvania inspired tote bag is perfect for adding some fun to your weekly shop, or as a great library bag for your kids. Click here to read more.

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While we’re talking about shopping bag options, check out this new pattern release from Jeni at In Color Order. I love how effective the simple use of half square triangles is. (Please note this is a paid pattern, not a free one.) Click here to read more.

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Looking for a super simple quilt pattern, check out this free tutorial from Allison at Cluck Cluck Sew for making a squares and strips quilt. Click here to read more.

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If you’re thinking about starting a small business within the quilting industry have a read of this article by Steph Skardal. It’s very thought provoking and I’d love to sit down and write an accompanying piece to it as I agree with a lot of what she’s saying, I’ve had first hand experience with what she’s talking about and I think there’s a couple of other things that could be added to it.

I love to share the cool things that I find during my week of surfing the internet window-shopping and splurging. Here’s my top 4 from this week:

A: I’m chuckling: I love the look on Frida’s face, she looks so unamused and it tickles me greatly. I’m also digging the bright mix of colours in this print from Alexander Henry. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

B: I’m carolling: If you’re wanting to do a Christmas themed quilt for #100Days100Blocks2018 or Famer’s Wife 1920’s Sampler Quilt check out this bundle. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

C: I’m pondering: This is such an unusual mix of colours and prints it would make a really interesting quilt. Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

D: I’m loving: I love sewing related jewellery and this brooch made from measuring tape is just too cute not to share (but you’d better hurry there’s only 3 left!). Click here to purchase this on Etsy.

Have you got an event, a charity drive, a pattern release, a class schedule or something else that you think my community would be interested in hearing about? Why not drop me a line and let me know – I’d love to share it with my readers. Click here to email me.

• Margaret Eagles has written two books for quilters. The first one ” Made with love. The story of your quilt” replaces a card when giving a quilt as a gift. The maker personalities the book with fabric and photos of the making of the quilt. The second book is a children’s book “My Grandma makes patchwork quilts”. It tells the story of a bond between a Grandmother and her grandchild and their shared love of fabric and play. To find out more (and purchase) click here.
• Andrea, from 3rd Story Workshop, has collaborated with award-winning singer-songwriter Meaghan Smith to launch the Our Song, Your Reflection project. Andrea has created a quilt design and Meaghan has created a song that speaks about the importance of community and the human connections that we make. The project is structured as an IndieGoGo campaign so that people can preorder the pattern and/or fabric kit, get limited-edition project swag, and other fun perks. But most importantly, the campaign gives people the opportunity to submit a photo of one of their quilts or of their quilting community to be included in the final music video. You can find out more about it by clicking here.
• Sam Hunter of Hunter’s Design Studio has released a collaborative quilt with Lisa Congdon called “Show Up”. It’s a really great quilt (with lots of fussy cutting possibilities) and is available for purchase by clicking here. Sign up to Sam’s newsletter as well so you can find out all the details about an upcoming sew-along to make the quilt.
• Stephanie of Modern Sewciety and Natalie of Sew Hungry Hippie have teamed up for a Dress-A-Long. June is the Metamorphic dress by Sew Liberated.  July is the Painted Portrait Dress by Anna Maria Horner. It looks to be a great event where you can learn new skills, make clothes you love and have a great time while doing it. To find out more click here.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a very small commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link, in fact in some cases I can offer you a better price via an affiliate link. I will not recommend something that I do not use myself. These commissions help me keep being able to provide you with great content for free. Thank you, in advance for your support!